In 1986, as the BJP sought to grow its presence nationwide, a 29-year-old RSS member from Dhanaula village in Punjab’s Barnala district joined the party. Four decades later, Harjeet Singh Grewal, now 69, was named Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities on Thursday. His career has focused mainly on organisational roles rather than winning elections. Grewal said he has worked steadily since joining to build the party’s structure in various states. He will hold cabinet rank. He noted he received the appointment call recently and plans to join soon, aiming to support minority welfare nationwide. This makes him the third Sikh to lead the commission and the second from Punjab. The previous holder, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, also from Punjab, served until April 2025. Earlier, Trilochan Singh held the post from 2000 to 2003. Grewal advanced through organisational work. He helped expand the party network in Punjab, Haryana and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In 1990 he founded the BJP Kisan Morcha and later became its national president. He served as the party’s first Sikh national secretary in the late 1990s and remains on the national executive. He recalled joining during Punjab’s militancy period and working with senior leaders. He also spent 15 years as vice-chairman of the National Cooperative Federation of India. During the 2020-2021 farmers’ protests against the repealed farm laws, Grewal took part in talks as a member of the BJP’s engagement committee. Protesters later demonstrated outside his home. He has not won elections, losing deposits in the 1996 Lok Sabha and 2017 assembly contests. He said public attitudes toward the party in Punjab have improved and people now engage with its welfare programmes.
